Here goes:

1. Finland is crushing the happiness game. The country has been crowned the happiest in the world for the last SEVEN years. Must be all the saunas and vodka...

2. According to a jovial 2023 study, we get happier as we get older

3. You can hack your happiness. Even if you’re faking a smile, your brain releases endorphins (the same chemical it produces when you’re genuinely happy)

4. Laughing burns around 40 calories in 10 minutes (lol!)

5. A happy heart is a healthy heart. According to Columbia University, cheerful souls are 22% less likely to develop heart disease

6. The word “happiness” originates from the Old Norse word “hap”, meaning luck or chance

7. Eating dark chocolate releases serotonin in your brain, boosting your mood and lowering stress levels i.e. chocolate makes us happy (cue guilt-free chocolate guzzling…)

8. Happiness has a smell. Researchers from Utrecht University discovered that “chemosignals” released by happy humans have their own scent

9. You can catch happiness. A 2008 Harvard study found that happiness spreads through groups of friends like a ripple. So if your pal’s pal is happy, your chances of being happier go up – even if you’ve never met your pal’s pal

Speaking of happiness ripples:

I’ve noticed something interesting when I write these emails.

On the days I’m feeling chipper and full of beans, I get more enthusiastic responses. It’s like the energy transfers via the screen into your eager eyes, then ripples through your body, into your fingers, onto an email and back to my hungry inbox.

A virtuous ripple of happiness if ever there was one.

(just another reason why I love writing daily emails)

With that said, now it’s over to you.

Would you like to rank the happy facts? Have you got some happy news to share with me? Or would you be happy to simply say hello?

Whatever the case, now’s your chance to keep the ripple rippling.

So hit reply. I’d be happy to hear from you.